Friday, April 20, 2012

Heating Up: Open Garage Door Burglaries

As the weather begins to get warmer and people start leaving their garage doors open for extended periods of time, we are seeing an increase in the number of garage door burglaries in our neighborhoods.

So far during 2012, the Overland Park Police Department has taken 15 reports where items such as alcohol, sporting goods, electronics, purses and wallets were taken from vehicles or areas inside open garages. In the past, thieves have also stolen parked vehicles, although none have been reported yet this year.

When residents leave their garage doors up, it’s an open invitation to burglars. It takes only a matter of minutes for a criminal driving down the street, to stop, enter the garage or house, and take whatever they can carry out.Since open garage doors attract burglars, we suggest you make a habit of closing them when unattended. Never leave the doors open when there are no cars inside because a burglar could assume there’s a good chance no one is home.

OVERLAND PARK POLICE: MAKING A DIFFERENCE

About the Overland Park PD

Police Department Mission Statement:Our first and highest priority is the safety and welfare of the citizens of Overland Park and the men and women who protect them.

Overland Park is a thriving city located in Johnson County in the southwestern portion of the Kansas City metropolitan area.With over 178,000 residents, Overland Park is the second largest city in Kansas and covers 75.5 square miles. Overland Park is accessible by four major highways (I-35, I-635, I-435, and US69), and no location in the city is more than 3.5 milesfrom a highway.

The City of Overland Park is frequently recognized with national awards and honors. In 2012, CNN Money Magazine rated Overland Park ninth of the Top 10 Best Places to Live. Overland Park was also recognized by Movoto.com as one of the Top 10 Best Mid‐Sized Cities in the US (2013) and as one of the Top 11 Cities in the US for Raising a Family (2012). In addition, the city was recognized recently by Livability.com as number 3 in their list of the Top 10 Best Cities for Kids 2014.

The Overland Park Police Department is a premier police department with high ethical standards. The city maintains one of the lowest crime rates for Overland Park’s size. The department has an annual budget of over $32.9 million, 302 full-time employees, and 18.5 part‐time/full-time equivalent employees. There are currently 250 commissioned personnel in the police department.

There are four major divisions within the police department: Patrol, Patrol Support, Support Services, and Investigations. The police department also provides special services and community programs, which include fingerprinting, seatbelt safety, reporting illegal internet activity, school resource officers, school crossing guards, school zone safety, Explorers Program, and Citizens Police Academy.